Three Furry Friends

I couldn't think of any more terrifying things, so I thought coming at it from the opposite direction might shake some things loose.  What's the opposite of terror?  Wonder?  Hmmm, maybe something more like that Awww sound when you see something really cute: 

Longtailed Bunny
This creature is plump and covered in warm fluffy fur.  It hops around a bit (but not so fast it would scare you) and eats grass in the sun.  It purrs when close to people friendly to you.

Barking Otters
Long and flexible, these critters frolic on dry land the way otters do in water.  Well, they'll actually do it in water too; they are all around playful. They are very sociable, thriving in groups of four, and are always excited to see you when you come back from the dungeon.  They only bark when there is a trap around.

Fuzzy Percher
This plump little ball of yellow feathers likes best to clamber around on a friendly shoulder.  It peeps every now and then (but not so much as to be annoying) to let you know it's still there and likes to nuzzle into the side of your neck closest to home.

DMing the Folks

I've been seriously toying with the idea of running my father and stepmother through a session of old school D&D (pretty sure mother and stepfather are a lost cause).  As I get older it seems sad to me that my family really has no conception of this game I love thinking about and playing.  When I talk about blogging and the satisfaction it gives me they listen patiently, nodding their heads as if my hobby is body modification or building a time machine in the backyard out of auto parts.

But, they are pretty conservative protestant types and anything reeking of creepy or demonic is only going to confirm their worst preconceptions about the game.

But how would they get a thrill from exploring if there are no threats?  I've been thinking almost as if I were going to play little kids, something Christmas-themed with elves, misfit toys, and snow.  But that feels a little condescending.

I was just thinking maybe the key is to push the tone from creepy to alien.  If creepy is unsettling because the threat seems wrong to you and it knows it's wrong (like little men stuffing a dead monk with cherries).  Alien might be threatening at no fault of the threatening object (like an ivory statue of Justice walking slowly, inexorably toward you). I'm not sure-- this seems a fine distinction and could be dangerous to get wrong in this context.

Another focus could animal threats-- I've always been a sucker for ants as foes, maybe wolves.  Or the environment-- heights, lava pits, water filled rooms.

Apart from figuring out a threat, I have a craving to make some kind of wondrous machine.  Something like a big laboratory console with buttons that do cool stuff when manipulated in different sequences.  Maybe the promise of wonder is enough to pull explorers forward in lieu of threats?